Ongini Namibia!

Jan. 28
Our guide for the Katutura quest was a UNamibia student from Katutura- we started at the largest Lutheran church in Katutura, which has a female pastor. She was very involved in issues facing in Katutura. There is a large problem with gender-based violence here as well as teenage pregnancies and a high prevalence of HIV. She said that many times she felt completely overwhelmed and unable to do anything for these young women because she didn't have the resources to do so. After going to the Church we stopped at an orphanage which I will be volunteering at with a couple other students in the group on Wednesdays and possibly Fridays as well. When we went to the orphanage the only children there were very young, because the older kids were at school. The kids were so cute, but it was upsetting because when we walked in there was a little baby on the floor crying and no one was picking her up or anything. The kids don't have access to ways of bathing or clean clothes, and the place is overcrowded so the boys sleep on the floor and the girls sleep two or three to a single bed. Most of the money goes towards ARV drugs for the children who are HIV positive. 
There is a problem in poorer urban areas of young girls getting pregnant and (because abortions are illegal here), feeling completely out of options so they abandon their babies on the doorsteps of orphanages or by rivers or in grassier, overgrown areas. There is also a problem with women breaking up with boyfriends and then the boyfriends coming back and attacking them or killing them, there was a huge article in the Namibian recently about how another young woman was killed by her ex-boyfriend. The gender roles, like the racial roles are changing here because the country is changing and there are some in both instances who are unhappy about that change. Women are still predominately viewed as the lesser sex here and the also contributes to the high level of violence, because there is an attitude that women don't have the authority to say no to men. There is definitely a level of boldness that I experience with men here that I am not used to, and most times when I respond in an offended or bold manner, the men are taken aback and immediately assume I am not Namibian. It isn't all men who are over the top, or harassing, but the few that are definitely get to me from time to time. I do think its awesome that everyone calls me sister here. I like that. "Thanks sister" "Hey sister". Love it.

Jan. 29-30
 This weekend we had free, except Saturday afternoon we met with some other U Namibia students to start making friends. At first I was kind of annoyed about the student forum, because this was the first weekend we had free and everyone was really tired and just wanted to hang out and do our own thing, but it ended up being so much fun. We played Mafia, which I haven't played since I was ten, but it ended up being hilarious, I was one of the mafia members, but I managed to argue my way out of getting killed off and no one figured out that I was mafia, until the end. Two of the guys came out with us later that night John and Tuli. Tuli lived in the US for awhile because his parents were getting their masters at American universities. They are both so nice and I think we are going to hang out with them again next weekend. Anyways that night we celebrated two group members birthdays'. We started at a little bar attached to a hostel, which is right at the corner of our street called the Cardboard Box. Being 23 people we completely took over the bar. It was really fun though. Then we went to this bar called Zanzibar which looks like a dance club in Chicago or Iowa City for that matter. It was so much fun! We all went home around 4am.

Sunday was rest day we had our first community event in parliament gardens which is so beautiful, it is where the old houses of parliament are. We just discussed how everyone was feeling, and some people really opened up about how they had really been having a hard time adjusting, which was good to hear, because I think all of us were struggling with the adjustment a bit. It is so much fun, but sometimes being in a new place where you don't speak most of the languages and the culture is very different from your own, it is hard not to feel home sick. I also had a hard time at the beginning of the program because things would happen that I would normally laugh about or talk to my friends about, but we weren't all completely comfortable enough with each other to do that yet. It is so exciting now though because I feel like everyday I find something out about someone new that makes us closer and I am making some really great friends here. 

Jan. 31, 2011
Monday we started our internships, which I was really nervous about. When I got to my internship I was given my project and immediately completely overwhelmed. I was supposed to design a project involving community gardening and urban agriculture and relate it somehow to the empowerment of women. Then find the funding and the space and build those gardens. Ok, lets start with problem number 1, I know nothing about agriculture let alone urban agriculture and all the research I had done on development and women had been on micro loans and economic empowerment. I spent the rest of the reading material on urban agriculture and I had a list two pages long of terms to define. Problem 2, I have no idea how to get funding, I have never had this much responsibility and there aren't a whole lot of internships I imagine I will have later that will give me that kind of responsibility. I came back feeling completely exhausted thinking about how under prepared and lost I was, but I also was a little bit excited that this project was completely new and I was going to get to learn all of this really cool stuff about urban agriculture. 
Since the first day things have gotten harder, but also easier in some respects. My crash course in community gardens and urban agriculture has made me realize that in terms of a development field I really like it a lot. I keep thinking of all of these different ways it could be used for so many issues developing areas and countries face. It can be used in non-developing countries too, which I find so cool. I have developed a new project based on the old project which we have space and funding for the community gardens and this Wednesday Feb. 16 (sorry I am throwing off the time line) I start clearing the space for the gardens and getting ready to plant. I adapted my plan so that I work with this shelter for abused women and children to build the gardens and then help them teach women how to use the gardens for immediate food consumption as well as for growing food to sell, but then I created my own project where I take the garden models to school, orphanage and community leaders and discuss the idea of a farm to table project where we implement gardens in the backyards of schools and orphanages. Some schools already have the gardens, but there are many other ways they can be used. For instance, science classes, economics lessons, different after school projects to tend the gardens and the project I am most interested in is a girl's program where the garden is used for nutritional lessons in conjecture with a curriculum that teaches girls to respect their bodies and empower them to take control of their bodies and body images. Obviously I won't be able to see all of these things through, but if I can get the ball rolling that would be so great. Even still, there have already been a ton of stalling points and setbacks so I am trying to take this as a learning experience no matter what happens. I know a lot of other people in my group are really having a hard time because they feel like they are hitting a wall as well at their internships, these organizations don't run the same way some of the organizations, they are used to working at, run in the US. They are often completely understaffed, and underfunded and so it takes a long time to get things done. 

Feb. 1
Today we drove out to this beautiful Eco-lodge set against the mountains about 45 minutes outside of Windhoek for a team building retreat, with all the staff and students. We have Sarah, Evelyn and Jenobe as cooks and Sarah and Lucia coordinate the home-stays and are generally in charge of the house. Then there is Passat, who drives the combis (buses) around, he has kind of become our father figure. He drops us off at internships and makes sure we are ok and picks us up. He is so great. Then there is Jessy, the student intern and kind of adviser to the students. She is really close in age to us and lives at the house as well and is there to handle house issues or personal issue and to be a friend but also make sure we don't run wild. She is so great and amazing and she is also a guide almost for the city and different activities because she did the same trip a year ago. Love her. Then we have our professors: Linda, Nespect, Romanus and Urbanus. Linda teaches the development class and is from the US, Nespect teaches and coordinates Internships and class for internships and is Namibian, Romanus teaches history and Urbanus teaches political science and they are also both Namibian. Everyone is so great. Urbanus is hilarious and Romanus is so nice. During the retreat we played different games and had group discussions about everything from sexual orientation to religion, race and gender. Some of the topics were really hard for people to talk about , I personally had a hard time talking about religion because I don't have any experience with any religion in particular outside of my brief encounters with the Catholic church when I was baptized and took my first communion, although I don't remember much of either of those experiences. I ended up having a great discussion with Evelyn and two girls; Ariana and Claire. We all had very different relationships with religion and beliefs but it ended up being one of the most open discussions I have ever had, which was great. At the end of the day we had a three legged race, which was so hilarious to watch teachers and students stumble all over each other. It was particularly fun to watch Urbanus and his team because Urbanus is like a big bear and at one point he fell on top of my friend Christine and the whole team came down with them it was so hysterical. 

It rains on and off here. Some days it will rain all day some days it won't rain at all, but usually it's pretty sunny and then between 3-5 there are the most ridiculous rain and thunderstorms which pass through and then stop after about five. The rainy season has about 4 more weeks so everything is so green and overgrown it is beautiful. I don't think I have ever been happier than since I have been here and I think that has to do with the beauty of the outdoors here. I can't get over it. 

Feb. 2-4
Today we had our second day of interning but we only went half day, then on Thursday we had our first history class with Romanus. We learned about all of the different tribe and clans in Namibia and the history of Namibia (very brief overview). In the late 1800's the German's proclaimed Namibia a German protectorate, later in the 20th century South Africa and the Afrikaners took over Namibia and it remained under apartheid until March 21,1990. 

Namibia is very interesting because it is a huge country but only has 2 million people, it is the 2nd least densely populated country in the world, Mongolia is the first. The tribes here include the Nama, the Damara, Oshivambo, Herero, Tswana, Himbas and many others, within in those tribes there are many different clans or groups. For instance within Oshivambo there are the Kwanyama speakers, Oshindonga, and 6 other groups I can't remember. I am learning Oshindonga- it is really hard! Tonight we got picked up by our host families, for our urban home stay which lasts until next Saturday. I am really excited because my family is biracial which I thought would be a really interesting dynamic in Namibia, since that isn't very accepted here. My mother, Tully, is black and my father Bjorn is white, German. Their family (they have two daughters Inga is 11 and Erna is 9 and a son Volofi who is 8 months) speaks four languages, German, Kwanyama, Afrikans and English. They live in Khomasdal, which used to be were the colored people had to live during apartheid but has since been opened up for everyone to live in. During apartheid, Blacks were forced to live in Katutura, coloreds had to live in Khomasdal and whites were allowed to live wherever they wanted. A lot of people post-apartheid moved back in to the areas they had been moved out of and it was seen as a great step forward if you could reclaim the home or area you had been forcibly removed from- these  areas included places like hochland park, an area which looks like Southern California or miami, Windhoek west, where the CGE house is, Windhoek north, Eros, and Klein Windhoek. Within Katutura, blacks were divided by tribes as well, only furthering the racial divides. The remnants of these divides can be heard in opinions of some coloreds and blacks. There is some tension between coloreds and blacks, because during apartheid the coloreds were seen as above blacks (because they looked "whiter), and when apartheid ended, many are still scrambling to regain that status. 

Feb. 5-13, Urban Home stay
My urban home stay was a very tough experience. This home stay makes me even more homesick too, being with a family that isn't my own. Its also hard because English isn't their first languages so they speak in Afrikans or Vambo and then occasionally translate for me- which makes sense I came to their home and country I should speak their language and I am trying to learn both, but I obviously don't understand most of the conversation. Lot of different languages in my head making my head spin :). I really like my family, but it is very difficult, because our cultures are so different and sometimes it is really exhausting having to remind myself of all of the different cultural aspects that go along with living there. For instance, I have to remind myself not to take a lot of food, because if you put food on your plate you must eat it, you don't throw away food here, it is too expensive. The first two nights that was hard because I would take more than I needed and then have to eat it all. You have to be very water conscious here as well, which is interesting because I think it is partially why my family didnt really drink water, and always looked at me strangely when I did. Also there is an order for who eats first. The dad gets the plate first, then the boys, then the mother, and so on, etc.  The big US storm is all over the news. Its amazing how much US news dominates every other type of news. During the week I go to class and hang out CGE house until about 5:30 and then go back to my host family's house. I have to say I am so glad I am not a vegetarian, because there are a bunch on my trip and that is an idea that DOES NOT TRANSLATE at all. They think being vegetarian means you eat chicken. So at least I am not a picky eater. The food thing is hard here though because the meals are a lot different. There are no veggies or fruit anywhere which makes sense because those are very expensive, there is a lot of meat and a ton of carbs, which is fine but sometimes you just really want an apple or tomato or something.

Speaking of lots of meat, last Wednesday before the home-stay started, a couple of us went to try out this restaurant for dinner called Joe's Beerhouse. It is touristy beyond touristy and it had the most white men I have seen in one place in a long time, but it was really fun (don't worry Dad and Paul I will take you there for dinner). It is basically a game restaurant, I shared a safari platter with my friend and we had kudu, zebra, crocodile, impala and chicken. Have to say...crocodile tastes exactly like chicken. Anyways the place was really fun, and built completely Eco-friendly, besides the killing of all of the game in Africa. :)

Back to home stay highlights, the interesting family dynamics and perspectives on life I am picking up on are just so overwhelming. For instance, the mother is black and the dad is white, but the mother consistently tells her children that black men are lazy and that all white people are so pretty. So her daughters talk about how they wish they could look like me, because I am white and therefore pretty. They are already being told at a young age that the standard of beauty is unattainable to them because they are not white, but being half white the anglo-features they do possess are what make them beautiful. It is another way of subconsciously being told they are sub-par to white people, which is very sad, because they should feel beautiful no matter what their skin color. I can say that however, because I apparently am the standard. Also, the oldest daughter is not mixed, the mom had her from a previous relationship so she is already being told that everything about her looks and demeanor are not as good as her sister or her white counterparts. I was talking about it with a friend and it reminds me of the way our society shows women the standard of beauty which is often times equally as unattainable, but that both groups are being told that whatever they are isn't good enough. I have encountered a lot of racism on this home-stay, which makes it more difficult to handle. For instance two friends of my host-father's dad, came over last Sunday and they are old school apartheid loving Afrikaners, and they were just spewing the most racist comments I have ever heard, and I felt totally helpless because I wanted to say something, but also wasn't sure whether it was appropriate for me too, since no one else was so I just went into my room and did homework. I felt really bad because every part of me wanted to scream at these people. The only thing I'll repeat was that they said "black coffee is for black people, I like my coffee white, like I like my society",and then repeated it in English so I could understand it and started laughing. UGH. That was a really bad day and I was really appalled that the dad didn't say anything, because they were saying this stuff in front of their kids. 

Anyways, the next weekend was better. We went back to Tully's mother's house and had fat cakes and meat which were the most delicious thing I have ever had in my whole life, and I met Tully's sisters and there kids as well. Tully's cousin was having her hair braided and they wanted to put weave in my hair too, but couldn't get it to stay. Also there was a black mamba, at the house (I know I almost passed out), apparently it was someone's pet, yeah some people have the deadliest snake in the world as pets, and apparently it gets out on occasion. Maybe they like waking unsure if they will die on the way to the bathroom who know, but I would bet that it is an effective security measure. Anyways so I was grabbing something in the house and I heard Tully shouting and I asked what was going on and they said that the neighbor's black mamba had gotten out again! I watched my step the rest of that that's for sure. Before we left, Tully's mom told me she was going to make me a traditional Vambo dress, so I am really excited about that.  That was my last day with my host family, and the next I went back to the house around noon. I miss them, but I was really glad to be back at the house. My friend Laura was the only one who got back as early as I did so we hung out by the pool and then went and got lunch from the market and did laundry which was really nice. 

Today I am back at my internship and you are finally completely caught up. I know there is more I could say and I will try and add more detail but for now, you know everything that has gone on in my life. Tonight we have a community event and this weekend I think we are going hiking around the Windhoek area which will be fun, i think there is also a soccer game sometime this week too, we are also starting to plan our spring break trip to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe side!). Also next week we leave for Swakopmund and Walvis Bay (I hear Brangelina has a house there).
Love you all, miss you tons,

Cassie